The Female Warrior

One

Ages ago, the moon goddess created man, then she created beast and combined them together. The moon goddess watched over her children and soon found that evil resided within many of their hearts; the beast was too much. The beast often overpowered man, and with that came the creation of Rogues. That was what the goddess had named them; beast more than man. The goddess cried to her lover Apollo to fix her mistake; to kill her creations, but he did not. Instead, Apollo sent the will of fire into the hearts of the untamed, and so the hidden pack of Black Rain was created.

Those from the hidden pack were men who could over power their beasts, men created to protect those who could not protect themselves. Henry Power was the first to achieve this. Though, Henry was more beast than man, but still he held control over his beast. His features and larger frame seemed to intimidate others. It was on the night of his first shift that the moon goddess named this new species; a lycan. This beast was different than others, he had control, his strength greater, his height surpassing any beast he came in contact with. His form radiated power. From that moment forward, Henry Power became known as the Father of Lycans, the man who later created the Power Pack. The royal pack in which every pack feared.

Well...all except one

But that pack no longer existed.

My Alpha had told me this story many times as a child. The day he found me in the woods, bruises covering my form, my body thin, and skin cracked and bloody. He told me that I was special like Henry, that all the strong wolves found their way towards the hidden pack. He said it was Apollo who chose my destiny at birth. Of course I was no lycan royal, but warriors of the Blackrain Pack were a myth to the werewolf world. We were the stories parents told their children when they were afraid to sleep. We were all guided here to train, to become stronger, to protect our own against those who were not strong enough to fight their inner beast.

"Alex! Pay attention," Ben yells to the left of me, "I have twenty dollars on you." I simply smirked at the red-haired boy. He had kind eyes, the kind you would never expect to see so much horror and gore. He had a boyish smile to match that innocent look he wore so well, and yet, he was the furthest from it.

My attention goes back to the rogue. Sweat drips from the side of his forehead as his arm wavers, not wanting to lose our little game.

 It was simple. Pin my arm down, and he was free. But if I pinned his down, he'd rot in the cellar until we were bored and wanted to try new interrogation tricks on him. Though, we all knew how this would end, no one ever beat me in an arm wrestling match.

Soon, the splinters of wood sprayed at us as my men cheered and laughed seeing the distraught face of the unknown wolf. Many were smart enough not to try and dig into the secret of the Black Rain pack, but he was stupid. 

A fool really.

The fight at Gold Moon Pack was long and tedious, a brutal battle that left many dead. The Gold Moon Pack was a lower ranking pack in the south, a pack known for its kindness. They were a pack who kept to themselves and never bothered others. Being a part of the Black Rain Pack meant that it was our duty to help other packs against rogues. They sent a letter to the council on the issue of rogues growing closer to their border, but by the time we arrived, rogues had already infiltrated their pack. Though most members were farmers and blacksmiths, they fought bravely before our arrival. Our duty to help  our people was something Apollo had taught us. It was our whole reason for our existence. 

Unfortunately, as we left a rogue  decided to follow us back to our pack. We had known all along he had been tailing us, but every now and then our pack relished in a new training dummy. I never questioned it, I was the only female within the pack and even I knew my limits. 

He moved solemnly towards the cells where two of our men guided him. Now that play time was over, I moved over to my post, and began checking in with all of those who were on patrol. Everything seemed to be running smoothly as every wolf on patrol send me a nod and continued to keep watch. It had taken me a while to earn the respect of my peers. Before I had come along, the Black Rain Pack only held males. Samuel, our alpha, declared that  Apollo chose my destiny to end up here, the small crescent between my brows further proved it. It was a symbol, it showed that this was my rightful place. This was where I had to be, because the goddess and her lover had said so. Though many questioned how true it was, a girl appearing in the woods...Some still question it to this day. 

It was a lonely life before I had joined.

Life at the Black Rain Pack was simple. We wake up, we train, we help others, we sleep. It all sounded so simple, four easy steps and once bone and death is left, we rest with the gods above. Of course none of us knew if that was true, but it's what elder Erik had always told us. The elders of the council always told us of our worth, of our cause, the reason we live and fight for our kind. Against our kind. 

Some days I wondered about if my life were different. If I were the girl with the happy family, the girl who would find her mate at 16 and run off into the sunset. I wanted it some days. I wanted to find my mate, to find some one to care for me. To have the big family who cares for each other. Even on my happiest days, my worst days seem to cloud my mind. 

"The pack hall, now." My feet stop at the command and move accordingly towards my new destination.  Blurs of brown and red furs rush past me as I near the pack hall. 
 

It was his tone that had everyone looking to each other as we entered the hall. As I stepped in I could feel the air tense, even the gamma would not spare me a glance. I moved quickly to my designated spot, my hands moving into my pockets as I watch the alpha move in front of us.

He cleared his throat, "I am afraid that our sources were correct," the room grew tense at his words, "the council has informed me that the threat of the rogues has grown increasingly in the north." He pauses momentarily, taking in our expressions, "As you all know, we have always been in a battle against rogues, but the council fears they are getting stronger. They have created a pack of their own, the leader is unknown and is considered to be a level 4 threat," my body stilled.

In the beginning of training, we were taught how to handle every situation, whether it be rogues, witches, vampires, or whatever the hell the gods created. We were taught different methods, different levels of possible genocide. We had been to level 3 before, in the fight against the Warzone Pack, but that was before my time. I shiver at the name.

 A level four meant that this threat would have to be neutralized immediately, though many of our own will likely die. 

"Settle down," the murmurs filling the room turned into hush whispers, "the council and I have decided that our best decision is to head north," the voices of our pack began filling the room again, "Alpha Rush will be giving us shelter, I expect everyone to be ready by dawn". 

8/10/22